To The Waters and the Wilds
by Silver Inklett
Summary: "Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild, with a faery, hand in hand, for the world's more full of weeping than you can understand." [Drabble series revolving around Levy McGarden, the rest of Shadowgear, and the Nest of Fairy Tail. Sister fic to "Make Your Nest and Lay In It". Multiple POVs. Mainly Gajevy with several other minor pairings.]
1. there lies a leafy island

_As usual, I own nothing. This is a parallel story to my other fic "Make Your Nest and Lay In It", focused on Levy and Team Shadowgear instead of Gajeel and his nest. The two story lines will intersect quite a lot, though you don't need to read the other fic to understand this one (though I would highly recommend it)._

_The summary is from the poem "Stolen Child" by WB Yeats._

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The ship came in just as the sun was starting its decent, and Ardelle's grip on her daughter's tiny shoulders tightened. It wasn't the first time Levy had seen that ship and it wouldn't be the last, but it was likely her last time watching it come in to this shore.

"Mother," she murmured softly, in her shy, seven year old voice. "I don't wanna go."

Her mother sighed, kneeling down in front of Levy and smoothing her thumbs over the young girl's cheeks. "I'm afraid you have to," Ardelle said quietly, pressing her lips together to hide their trembling. She fussed over her daughter's clothes, making sure the soft fabric was laid right and pinned tightly. "Master Makarov has promised to take good care of you, and I want you to show him all the respect you would show me, alright?"

"But why am I going?" Levy said, holding her mother's wrist. "Have I been bad?" she asked in a small voice. "I promise I'll be better!"

"Oh, love, no," Ardelle said quickly, pulling Levy into a tight hug. "It's so lonely here, I wouldn't wish this solitude on you a moment longer."

"Then come with me!"

"Love, I can't," Ardelle said softly, pulling back enough so she could rest her forehead against her daughter's. "You know this."

"Mother, please," Levy said, tears starting to roll down her cheeks, "don't go."

Ardelle just pulled her daughter close again, kneeling in the sand as her little girl wept into her shoulder. She stroked her daughter's blue curls, trying to memorize their softness and how the fine grit from the salt water that Levy so loved to swim in felt against her fingers. She needed these last memories of her daughter to tide her over for the next couple hours.

Just a little while without her daughter, that was all.

It was still too much.

She felt it the moment the longboat hit the sand, and Ardelle looked up as Makarov climbed out, watching her sadly. "Titania Ardelle," he said in a low voice, sweeping into a bow. The gesture made her throat close up, and she had to take a moment to ensure that her voice would come out steady.

"Enough of that," she replied. "There's no need for such formalities between old friends." His lips quirked up into a small smile.

"I'm the only old one here," he teased, and she smiled.

"Please, you'll outlive us all."

Makarov's smile fell right off his face, and Ardelle sighed, scooping Levy up into her arms before standing. "I appreciate this," she told Makarov, her skirt trailing in the sand as she walked to him. "We are forever in your debt."

"It's no trouble at all," he insisted. "Our family is growing everyday, and I'm sure Levy will fit right in."

"Love, you remember Master Makarov?" Ardella asked Levy softly, and the young girl peeked at him through long blue curls. She nodded, clutching her mother closer.

"Does she have anything to take with her?" Makarov asked, and Ardelle sighed.

"Anything of import would give her away, and the rest is too trivial to bother with," she said, petting her daughter's hair. Occasionally, Levy would flinch when her mother's hand got too close to her back, and Ardelle quickly pulled away, wary of the still tender wounds there. "I've put everything under a Keeping enchantment for when she returns."

Levy tugged carefully on her mother's hair to get her attention. "When can I come back?" she asked softly, and Ardelle smiled carefully.

"When Master Makarov thinks you're ready, love."

"And you'll be here?"

Ardelle inhaled deeply before bending down and setting her daughter on the sand. "Love, why don't you go wait in the longboat while Master Makarov and I talk," she asked gently, stroking Levy's cheek. After a moment, the little girl nodded, quietly running towards the boat. Ardelle watched as she struggled to climb inside, and a soft island breeze gently gave her a push inside.

Ardelle had to cover her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut to prevent tears from leaking out. This was her daughter's home. She was tied to this place in a way no one else was, and Ardelle was ripping that away from her.

She remembered small sobs and the sight of dark blood running down a tan back, and had to swallow her own sob. So much she had taken away from her daughter. So much of her history, her birthright. Would Levy even remember this place when she was grown?

"Does she know?" Makarov asked gently, and she nodded.

"I don't know how well she understands the concept of death, but she knows this is the last time she'll see me," she said quietly, holding herself tight. Makarov lay his hand on her upper arm, and she gripped his hand tightly.

"Ardelle, if there were anything I could do," he started, but she shook her head.

"I've fought this too long," she said, feeling the burning of disease in her blood with every beat of her heart. "It's my time. You're taking my daughter someplace safe, and that's all I need to find peace."

Makarov nodded. "I'll care for her like she was my own."

"Please do. She deserves so much love."

They were silent for a few moments, before Ardelle sighed. Reaching into her skirts, she pulled out a glass flask, capped with a wooden topper. "This is the last of my magic," she said, handing it to him and watching the golden magic inside slosh around. "I trust you know what to do?" He took it carefully, tucking it into his own jacket.

"I shall put it with your sisters'," Makarov said. She smiled at that, letting out a slow breath in relief.

"I would like that."

"Is there anything else?" he asked. "Anyone you want me to contact for her? A father?" She shook her head.

"He does not know of her, and even if he did, I do not know his name," she admitted. "Besides, Levy's done well enough without a father, I don't think she needs him." He nodded, and they fell back into silence as they stared out into the ocean. The sun was just beginning to kiss the horizon, and Ardelle's throat tightened. Her last sunset.

"We should be going," Makarov said quietly, and she nodded.

"Let me say my last good byes?" she asked, her voice cracking. He nodded, squeezing her hand. He made to step away, but she hugged him before he could move. "Thank you," she whispered, tucking her face against the white hair at his temple. "I can think of no one else I would rather entrust my daughter to."

Makarov hugged her back tightly, and for a moment she could picture him as he was the first night they had met, just two people sitting in front of a fire and talking about their futures as mages and fae alike had danced on the sand. He had been so young and full of hope and passion, a passion for life and magic that he still possessed to this day. Her dearest friend.

"The world is a darker place already, Ar," he murmured, petting her long blue hair. "If your daughter grows up to be anything like you, then Fairy Tail will be a blessed place indeed."

Ardelle bit her lip to hold in her sobs, giving Makarov one last tight hug before letting go. She turned towards the longboat and Levy was watching her closely, tears running down her cheeks. She quickly made her way over to her daughter, plucking her out of the boat and holding her tight to her chest. Levy sobbed, clutching onto her mother's neck.

"I love you, Mother," she wept, face pressed against Ardelle's chest. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Ardelle whispered fervently. "So much, love. If I could go with you, I would do it in a heartbeat."

"What am I gonna do when you're gone?" the little girl wailed.

"You're going to live, okay?" Ardelle said, setting her daughter carefully in the sand and untangling her fingers from her hair. "You're going to become a marvelous mage, and you're going to find a new family that loves you as much as I do." As she spoke, Ardelle reached behind her and unlatched the crystal necklace that was wrapped around her throat. "You're going to cry, and laugh, and smile, and weep, and through it all you're going to become even stronger," she said, her own tears finally rolling down her cheeks as she carefully hooked her necklace around Levy's thin neck. Levy grabbed her wrists as tightly as she could, looking up at her through her tears.

"Promise me something, Levy," Ardelle said quietly, resting her forehead against her daughter's. Levy nodded, tangling her tiny hands into her mother's thick hair as if to keep her anchored in place. "Promise that you won't forget this place, please?"

"I promise, Mother," Levy said softly, watching her mother with her big dark eyes as if to try and commit all of her features to memory. Ardelle carefully wiped her daughter's cheeks, pressing kisses all over her face and Levy giggled wetly. She pulled back to see Levy's small smile, and she sighed contently.

"There's that pretty smile," she whispered, cupping her daughter's cheek. Levy beamed at her, and Ardelle's heart squeezed. What she wouldn't give to see her beautiful little girl grow up.

A weathered hand squeezed her shoulder, and both Ardelle and Levy looked up at Makarov. His eyes were rimmed with red, and Ardelle squeezed his hand. "I know," she said softly, untangling Levy's hands from her hair. She carefully scooped Levy up, putting her in the longboat and kissing her forehead one last time. It would only hurt more if they dragged this out, though Ardelle didn't know how it could possibly hurt worse.

Levy made a soft sobbing sound as Ardelle took a few steps back, her smile wobbling. "I love you, Mother," she said, reaching out towards Ardelle as Makarov climbed into the boat as well.

"I love you too, Levy," Ardelle said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Goodbye, love."

Levy just wept, pressing her face into her hands. Makarov pulled her into a tight hug, petting her hair carefully.

"Levy," he whispered, smiling at her when she turned to look at him. "Let's go home."

Ardelle called upon what little magic she had left to push the boat back out to sea, her eyes locked with Levy's the whole time. As the worn wood left the beach and slid into the sea, Ardelle could feel a little of the island's magic disappear, still clinging to her daughter's soul. Makarov took up the oars and started rowing out to the large ship that waited for them further out, but Levy just clung to the prow, leaning as far forward towards Tenroujima as she could.

"GOODBYE MOTHER!" she yelled over the ocean, and Ardelle choked on a sob.

"I LOVE YOU!" she yelled back, the wind carrying her voice to her daughter. Ardelle stayed on the beach until she could no longer make out the blue of her daughter's hair, and with a broken heart, she spread her delicate wings and flew deep into the jungle.

All of the creatures were silent as she passed, heads bowed to the earth, and Ardelle could feel ghosts at her heels. Stopping only once at the cottage she had shared with Levy to place her circlet on her bed for her daughter to find when she returned to the island, Ardelle flew up the trunk of the Tenrou Tree, letting her fingertips trail along the thick bark as she ascended. She could feel the souls of all the fairies who had ever lived on the island stirring under the age-worn bark, pressing their magic into Ardelle so she could finish the trek to the top.

She stumbled her landing when she reached the treetop, breathing heavy and flushed with fever. She had even less time than she had thought, and she thanked every god in the sky that she had lasted long enough to see her daughter to safety.

Her wings lay useless against her back, and so the Titania finished the trek on foot, passing through the empty village that had once been home to her people, hidden high above the rest of the island on the top of the Tenrou Tree. She could still remember when the laughter of fairies had filled the island. She let her fingers trail across the soft fabric that hung from clotheslines and across the mud walls that made their homes. She'd never brought Levy up here, not where the air was choked with the ghosts of the past.

It took her only a few minutes to reach the center of her village, looking at the clear pool that lay in its center, its surface smooth as glass. She'd brought up water from the springs almost every day, making sure that the water was clean and well maintained and that the spells cast on the pool stayed strong. It was strategically placed over the center of the Tenrou Tree's trunk, and Ardelle had watched as many of her people had laid in the center and breathed their last breaths, their souls dripping down with the water into the trunk of the tree.

The water was cool as she stepped into it, not bothering to hold up the skirt of her gown. The water seemed to shimmer with magic as Ardelle swam towards the center, the thin fabric plastering around her legs and to her torso. She floated on her back, wings and hair spread out around her, and she stared up at the darkening sky as her heartbeat began to slow. Ardelle felt tears slip down her face, even though she had made peace with the inevitability of her own death ages ago.

She imagined her daughter's smiling face, her laughter ringing through the trees as Ardelle carried her on a flight through the forest, golden eyes bright and cheeks flushed. She thought of Levy dancing on the beach, arms thrown over her head and hair wild as she danced with an abandon that only children had, magic thick in a haze around her.

Ardelle remembered looking down at her daughter when she was first born and thinking that nothing on this planet could ever be as beautiful as Levy was to her.

And when the last Titania of Tenroujima died, it was with a smile on her face.

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	2. we foot it all the night

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters, I'm just borrowing them._

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"Guys, wait up!" Levy yelled, bunching her skirt up in her tiny fists before running after her two teammates. Jet and Droy had been running from her all day, and Levy was getting more and more frustrated. She could be playing with Cana! Or reading with Lisanna! But no, she had to chase her idiot teammates around!

"Master says it's time for dinner!" she yelled, turning the corner. She heard loud giggles and smelled magic in the air before something rushed past her, making her hair whip around her face. The seven year old cried out, covering her head. "Jet! That's not very nice!" Levy shouted, feeling her bottom lip start to tremble.

Two heads peeked around the corner, and both Jet and Droy giggled. "Come on, Levy," Droy called, "you gotta be able to keep up!"

"Then stop using your magic!" she said, stomping her foot. They both laughed again before disappearing, and Levy pressed her lips together tightly. She gripped her mother's necklace, blinking quickly to keep from crying. It'd only been a month since she had left Tenroujima, and she already wanted to go home. The people here were nice, but it could be so loud. She missed the smell of the ocean. She missed the feeling of sand under her feet and soft green grass against her back.

She missed her Mother.

"_Tag!_"

Levy cried out as two small hands hit her back, right between her shoulder blades, and she fell to the ground as pain shot through her tiny form. Her back and knees throbbed painfully, and Levy couldn't hold back the sobs bubbling up her chest. The wounds on her back were still tender, despite the healing cream Makarov had been giving her, and the two long gouges under her shoulder blades throbbed.

"What did you do?" Droy asked, panic in his voice as he looked down at the crying girl.

"Nothin'! I just tagged her!" Jet shot back, and Levy wailed louder. The two young boys panicked and shared a look before Jet turned towards the front of the guildhall. "_Dad!_" he yelled, and there was the sound of rushing footsteps.

"Jet, what happened-" the footsteps stopped, and Levy whimpered. "_Boys!_ What happened?" the low voice barked out, and two callused hands carefully helped Levy back to her feet.

"Nothin'!" Jet said again, but the man who had helped Levy up ignored him, instead carefully wiping the tears from Levy's cheeks.

"Are you okay, darlin'?" he asked gently, and Levy sniffled.

"My back hurts," she murmured, and he pet her hair gently.

"May I look?" he asked, and she froze up. Makarov had warned her to be careful about telling people about Mother or where she came from, and she knew that her back could give her away. But it hurt so badly… Levy nodded, and the man smiled at her. He had the same dark eyes and straight nose as Jet, though his hair was a deep black with silver streaked throughout.

He carefully turned Levy around, lifting the back of her shirt and inhaling sharply. "Is she okay?" Jet asked nervously, and Levy could see him bouncing nervously at the edge of his vision as Droy bit his thumbnail. They both looked genuinely remorseful, but Levy was still in too much pain to care.

"... There's a bit of bruising, but nothing too bad," Jet's dad said, carefully lowering Levy's shirt. It had been Erza's when she was smaller, but since Makarov hadn't been able to go out and get Levy new clothes yet, she wore some hand-me-downs from the rest of the girls at Fairy Hills. Levy didn't mind - the clothes were all soft and smelled like girl and magic - but she missed the floaty fabrics of her old dresses. She felt weighed down, like she was chained to the earth, and some primal part of her was terrified at the prospect.

"You're the new little girl Makarov brought back a month ago, Levy, right?" he asked when Levy turned back around, ruffling her hair gently. Levy nodded. "It's nice to meet you," he said with a grin. "I'm Brant, and I see you've already met my goofus of a son."

"Hey!" Jet protested, but Brant silenced him with a look.

"Jethro Leroy Allen," he said lowly, "do you want to tell me why this young lady got shoved to the floor?" Jet and Droy both went pale.

"We was just playin'!"

"She wouldn't be crying if you were playing," Brant said. He looked at her scraped knees before carefully pulling Levy into his arms, the little girl clinging to his jacket. "Come on, they should have some bandages behind the bar," he said, and the four of them made their way back into the main room. Some of the adults went quiet as Brant walked by with a sniffling Levy in his arms, and most of the kids were already rushing over to make sure their friend was okay.

"She's fine, just got a little roughed up," Brant told them, and Levy smiled reassuringly down at her friends. Cana frowned and climbed up onto one of the barstools as Brant put Levy on the wooden surface of the bar, reaching out for Levy's hand. Levy gripped her hand back tightly, rubbing her eyes.

"What's going on over here?" Enno asked, still out of breath from dancing. She was Levy's favorite adult in the guild, and Levy immediately reached for her. "Levy? What happened?"

"Jet and Droy pushed her and she fell over, apparently," Brant said, taking a step back so Enno could fuss over Levy. "Could you bandage her knees while I go talk to Master for a little while?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," she said, rubbing Levy's shoulder. "I needed to take a break anyways. I think Macao is trying to build up the courage to talk to me, and it'd be easier if I wasn't dancing."

Brant laughed. "You could just tell him you like him, you know?"

"Nah, he's gonna have to work for it!"

Brant laughed and Levy watched as he walked away, heading towards where Makarov was sitting. The barmaid behind the counter handed Enno the first aid kit, and she quickly got to work, joking and making funny faces at Levy as she carefully disinfected the scrapes on the little girl's knees. Cana rubbed Levy's hand the whole time, and Levy smiled at her gratefully.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Jet asked quietly, and Enno frowned down at him.

"She'd be better with an apology," she said. The two young men squirmed.

"We were just playin'," Droy murmured, and this time Cana was the one to respond.

"You're not allowed to shove people!" she said. "Even if you are playing!"

"Cana's right," Enno said, putting the last bandage over Levy's wound and quickly kissing her knee. Levy giggled, covering her mouth. "That's no excuse to be mean to a younger kid, especially a young lady. I thought you three were teammates now?"

"We are!" they both shouted, sounding distressed.

"Then you have to take care of her," Enno continued as she picked Levy up, carefully placing the young woman on the ground. "Being a team means you watch out for each other, no matter what. You have to treat them with respect! Jet, would you play as roughly with your sisters as you did with Levy?"

Jet went pale. "_No."_

"And why not?"

"Because they can beat me up!"

Levy giggled as Enno sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That wasn't what I was aiming for," she murmured as Cana hopped down off the barstool, hovering protectively over Levy along with Mirajane and Lisanna. "I was trying to say that you should treat your team like you would treat your family! When you grow up and start going on missions, Levy could be the only thing standing between you and a big monster, and do you want her to be remembering the time you pushed her over while she's protecting you?"

If it was possible, Jet and Droy went paler.

"Just be more careful next time, and apologize," Enno said, gently nudging Levy closer to the two boys.

"Yeah, or _we'll _beat you up!" Mirajane said, tossing her long white hair over her shoulder before cracking her knuckles, magic flaring up around her.

"Mirajane-"

"Or we'll kick you in the dick!"

"_Cana!_" Enno exclaimed, looking at the young brunette with wide eyes. "Where did you learn that!?" Cana shuffled her feet, smiling up at Enno sheepishly.

"I heard Macao yell it at Wakaba yesterday," she said, pointing at the two mages who were drinking on the opposite side of the guild. Enno turned and glared at the two, and Levy heard a muffled _"Shit"_ before Macao took off for the door, Wakaba running after him.

While Enno gently lectured Cana and Mirajane, Jet and Droy stepped up to Levy, both looking at the floor. They were awkwardly silent for a few moments before Lisanna coughed delicately from behind Levy, giving the two a meaningful look before skipping over to where her brother was.

"We're sorry that we pushed you," Jet said, rubbing his head awkwardly.

Droy coughed. "Well, technically he shoved you, I'm innocent-" Jet elbowed him hard, and Levy hid her smile behind a small hand. "I mean, uh, I'm sorry too."

"I accept your apology," Levy said loftily, her mother's necklace hanging heavy around her neck and reminding Levy that even though she was away from her island, she was still the daughter of a Titania. And Titania's were forgiving, though not to be walked over. "But next time you want to play tag, ask first!"

They both murmured their agreements, and Levy giggled, stepping between the two and looping her arms through theirs. The two boys blushed, immediately screaming about girl cooties, but neither of them tried to move, and Levy just laughed louder. Sure, they were idiots, but they were her idiots now.

"Did those two goofballs apologize?" Brant asked as he walked back up, Makarov at his side. Levy nodded, grinning brightly, and Brant laughed as he ruffled Jet's hair. "Good to know."

"Levy, may I speak to you a moment?" Makarov said with a smile, and Levy immediately went to his side, taking his hand and letting him lead her a few feet away. "Now, Brant told me that he needed to look at your back after Jet shoved you?" he asked, and Levy's smile dropped.

"Was that bad?" she asked in a small voice. "I know you said to be careful about who I told-"

"Child, you're fine," he reassured, smiling. "I'm glad that it was Brant that you chose to trust. He was just concerned by the scars on your back and wanted to make sure you were okay. I told him that you had been taken into my care, and the scars were the result of a health problem." Levy nodded silently, one hand pressing against her back.

There were four scars in all, two large ones just below her shoulder blades and two smaller ones further down on either side of her spine. She could remember the fluttering of delicate wings, bones thin and colorful membrane thinner, and how easily they would tear whenever she tried to fly with her mother. They were so small compared to her body, and it hurt so badly to touch them that Levy couldn't even sleep on her back. Her mother had done everything in her power to help them grow, but Levy was too much human and not enough fae, and Ardelle had to take them off.

The thought of her mother made Levy's throat close up, and she gripped her necklace like a lifeline. This wasn't missed by Makarov, and he carefully laid his hand on Levy's arm. "Brant asked for permission to take you home with Jet and Droy tonight so that you can meet the rest of Jet's family," he said gently, smiling at the young girl. "I'm sure you would have a good time, but it's up to you."

Levy bit her bottom lip as she thought. "It won't just be the four of us, would it?" she asked, feeling awkward at the thought of being alone with so many boys.

"Of course not, Jet's mother and sisters will be there as well," Makarov reassured. "I've met Brant's wife before, and she'll make sure you're taken care of."

The thought of meeting her teammate's family was a nice one, and at the mention of family, Levy suddenly didn't feel like going back to her room at Fairy Hills. The other girls there were like sisters to Levy, but they all had their own rooms, and Hilda had recently started to enforce the rule that the girls couldn't leave their rooms after 10. What sounded better; being alone in her big room, or going and visiting family with her teammates?

"That sounds nice," she said with a shy smile, and Makarov grinned.

"I'll let Hilda know that you'll be staying with the Allens tonight, then," he said, smiling. "I'm glad that you're fitting in so well, Levy. I know the transition has been hard."

Levy just smiled, letting Makarov lead her back over to where Brant was lecturing Jet and Droy. "She said yes!" Makarov said cheerfully when they had gotten close enough, and Brant grinned brightly. He had a little fang just like Jet, and Levy giggled.

"Great!" he cheered, ignoring Jet and Droy's confusion. "Leena's been wanting to meet you for a while, ever since these two said they had formed a team."

"Wait, she's coming home with us?" Jet asked, eyes wide.

"To meet Ma?" Droy added.

"And my sisters?" Jet whispered, going still as he looked at the ground in horror.

Brant smirked at the two. "Yes, I figured it's about time your new teammate met the family. Besides, you know your mother. She won't be happy until she gets to fuss over the young lady and sends her back to the dorms with enough leftovers to feed an army."

Droy looked over at Levy - Jet was still staring at the ground with wide eyes - and hummed thoughtfully before shrugging. "I guess it'd be okay," he said breezily, and both Brant and Makarov rolled their eyes. Brant went and said a few quick goodbyes (and took a moment to laugh at Macao along with Wakaba as Enno chewed him out for not watching his tongue around the younger Fairies), before coming back and smiling at Levy widely.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, and Levy nodded, smiling shyly at the Speed Mage. She turned and waved goodbye to the other kids, and trailed after Brant and her two teammates, who were fighting with big grins on their face.

They had only walked for a few minutes when Jet and Droy fell back to where Levy was walking, and with deep blushes on their faces, quickly took one of her hands each, holding them carefully. Levy blinked owlishly, looking at the two before smiling, holding their hands back tightly.

They let go as soon as the Allen family home came into view, but Levy had gotten really rather good at reading between the lines since leaving Tenroujima, and she understood their actions loud and clear. It was an apology and reassurance all in one, and Levy knew that after today, Jet and Droy would always have her back, scars and all.

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_For those of you that don't remember, Enno is Romeo's mother, so the only OC in this chapter is Brant. I'm gonna be introducing the rest of Shadowgear's family in the next chapter, and I'm really looking forward to it. Jet's mom is a gift lol. For those of you wondering when this fic is gonna start lining up wit Nest fic, be patient. I just have a couple more chapters to set some more things up, and then we're gonna jump right in! _

_Quick reminder that updates between this and Nest fic alternate, and that besides that, there's no set schedule. I managed to knock this chapter out in a day, but some chapters take as long as a month to write. Thank you for your patience. _

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	3. and whispering in their ears

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the canon, I'm just borrowing them. The rest belong to me.  
_

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"MAAAA!"

The three kids crashed through the hallway, falling over each other eagerly as they ran towards the woman who had just come through the door. Jet and Droy shoved each other in hopes to get there first, but Levy simply ducked under them and threw herself at Leena's legs, hugging her tightly. Levy made sure not to bump her head against the curve of Leena's belly, wary of the life growing inside.

"Woah, calm down there!" Leena said with a laugh, setting her bag down before petting Levy's curls. "What's gotten into you three?"

Jet and Droy appeared on either side of Levy, and the three beamed up at Jet's mother. "We got our guild marks today!" Jet told her, bouncing eagerly. Levy lightly tapped the back of his hand, and he stilled with a sheepish smile. They were still working on breaking that habit now that Jet had a better grasp on his magic.

"You did?" Leena gasped, smiling widely. She bent over carefully so that she was at eye level with the three, brushing some of her red hair out of her eyes. "Can I see?"

They turned around with matching grins, Levy carefully undoing the top couple of buttons on her blouse as Jet and Droy scrambled to pull their shirts over their heads. Levy let her shirt hang around her elbows, the tank top she wore underneath still covering her scars, but revealing the white and orange guild mark on her shoulder blade. The three of them had talked at length about where they had wanted their guild marks, all agreeing that they wanted them in the same place. Jet and Droy had even waited a year to get their marks with Levy.

"Oh, aren't they beautiful!" Leena said, smoothing her fingers over Jet's guild mark. "Who did them for you?"

"Dad did Droy and I's," Jet said.

"And Makarov did mine!" Levy chirped, still beaming as she pulled her blouse back over her shoulders. Her skin was still tingling with magic, and it made Levy feel like she was weightless. She was an official member of Fairy Tail! After almost 4 years of practically living in the guildhall, she was an official member!

"Waitwaitwait, you didn't tell her the best part!" Droy said, his voice muffled by his shirt. Leena quickly moved over to him, helping her adopted son get his shirt back on right.

"Oh, right!" Jet said as Levy giggled happily. "As soon as we all got our marks, Master made us an official team! We're on the roster and everything!"

The older woman beamed at them, gently leading them back towards the kitchen. "That's wonderful, kids," she said, ruffling Jet's hair. "So you finally decided on a name?"

"Well, kinda-"

"_Levy _chose the name, and Mirajane sat on us until we agreed," Droy said with a pout, glancing at a deceptively innocent-looking Levy.

"I'm telling you guys, Shadowgear was the best one we came up with," she said with a shrug. "Just because we didn't go with your name-"

"'_Superpowerful Legion of Badasses'_ isn't good?" Jet said, yelping when his mother bopped him on the head.

"Jethro, no cursing," she said with a frown.

"Yes, Ma," he grumbled, sprinting into the kitchen as soon as his mother switched her attention to Levy.

"I think Shadowgear is a lovely name," she said, and Levy practically vibrated at the praise. Over the past four years, the Allen household had become another home to Levy, right after Fairy Tail and the girls' dorms. Both Brant and Leena had welcomed Levy into their lives with open arms, and Jet's sisters had taken to her quickly as well. Although it had taken awhile for Levy to feel comfortable with Leena while the loss of her own mother weighted so heavily on her heart.

The two women followed Droy into the kitchen, and Brant looked up from where he was peeling potatoes at the counter. His face lit up in a wide smile, and he turned his wheelchair to greet his wife. It took him a few moments to turn, still unused to the clunky contraption.

"Welcome home, dove," he said, motioning for his wife to lean down and give him a hello kiss, a request she easily met. The three young mages all made sounds of disgust and quickly turned around, both boys trying to cover Levy's eyes, and the two adults simply laughed.

"How was work?" Brant asked, and Levy snuck a look over her shoulder just in time to see him rub her cheekbone with his thumb, the smiling woman leaning into his touch.

"Good enough, I got a new job to work on for the next few days, but one of the looms busted before I could start."

"They figure out what's wrong with it?"

"Not yet," she said, snatching a piece of chopped tomato off the counter and popping it into her mouth. "We're having someone from the carpentry guild in the next town over coming in and looking at it tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," he said, giving her one last grin before looking at her stomach. "And how's my little man doing?" he cooed, carefully smoothing his hands over the swell under her dress.

"I'm telling you, it feels like a girl," Leena said with a fond smile, and Brant looked up her with a pout.

"Don't you go and jinx it," he said. "You girls already have the run of the joint."

"Says the stay at home dad!" she said with a laugh, pushing his shoulder. Brant just grinned, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her stomach.

"Only a month until you prove your mother wrong, little man."

"Do you think your sibling will come before Enno has her baby?" Levy asked Jet, to which her teammate responded by shrugging.

"Dunno," he said, smiling at his parents. "Enno and Macao did announce that they were having a baby before my parents did."

"I asked Cana to tell me, but she's not talking," Droy grumbled, making Levy giggle.

"Because she knows what you'd do with that info! I heard you trying to make a bet with Wakaba the other day," she accused teasingly, and Droy huffed at her, making her bangs flutter in her face.

"Hey now, I was trying to make some money for your birthday gift!" he defended, and Levy rolled her eyes fondly. Her birthday had been yesterday, and her room was full of gifts from her family. Jet and Droy had ended up coming together to get her a new pair of Gale Force glasses, with bright red, winged frames. Her name was engraved into the left temple, and Levy hadn't taken them off for the rest of the party. Of course, she was left with a killer headache from wearing the magical specs for so long, but to her it was well worth it.

The rest of the guild members had mostly given her books (Lisanna had managed to get her favorite book signed by the author, and Levy was _still_ freaking out), Leena had made her a new dress to wear out on jobs, and Jet's sisters had worked together to make Levy a set of embroidered headbands.

Just as Levy started to wonder where the rest of the Allen clan was, the back door slammed open, startling the people already inside. Girlish shrieks echoed in the house and it wasn't long until the three Allen sisters dashed into the kitchen.

"We're home!" the tallest sister called, immediately going to her father to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Her black curls fell into Brant's face, and he blew them away with a playful huff.

"Welcome home, girls," Leena said, smiling as her two twin daughters ran up to give her a hug. "How was school?"

"It was good," Mary said, clinging to her mother's left leg.

"Will punched Evan," Ivy informed Leena from where she clung to her other leg.

"Oi!" Willow turned to face them, frowning. "You weren't supposed to tell!"

"Whoops," the twins said, giggling as their dad turned and gave his eldest child a Look.

"Willow," he started sternly, "what did we discuss about getting in fights?" Willow huffed angrily, crossing her arms and glaring at her sisters.

"To not start them while my sisters are around?" she replied testily. Levy giggled, covering her mouth when Leena turned to look at her.

"How about you don't start them at all?" Jet said under his breath to Droy, and though he clearly hadn't intended for his sister to hear him, her head snapped towards him and she snarled, revealing her braces.

"Wanna say that to my face, Carrot Top?" she said threateningly. Jet looked like he was about to wet himself, and Levy jumped into Willow's line of sight before the eldest Allen child could make good on the threat in her eyes.

"H-hey, we got our guild marks today!" Levy said, her voice hitching nervously. Willow's blue eyes cut towards the younger girl, and her expression immediately softened. It was common knowledge that all the Allen sisters had a soft spot for Levy that was a mile wide, and Jet and Droy had made no secret about using Levy as an adorable shield.

"Really?" she asked, braces now revealed in a smile. "Lemme see!" Levy spun around to bare her back to Willow and caught her teammates' grateful smiles. She shrugged, grinning at the two.

Once the newly-marked mages had shown off to the three girls, the preparations for dinner had started again. Levy sat on the counter between the twins, passing Brant whatever food stuffs he required and tossing diced pieces of vegetables at Jet and Droy, who tried to catch them in their mouths while they set the table. Willow was fretting over her mother and trying to keep her on the couch in the living room instead of helping with dinner, her hands fluttering nervously around the bump of her mother's womb.

"Seriously Will, I'm pregnant, not invalid," she teased gently, ruffling her daughter's curls.

"Actually, at this stage in the pregnancy you really shouldn't be moving a lot," Mary chirped, the three young girls leaning back to look into the living room properly. "We found a book about it in the library at school."

Levy perked up. "Did you bring it home?" she asked, practically bouncing up and down where she sat on the counter. Ivy giggled, looking at the mage with a grin.

"Haven't you already read like, ten books on pregnancy?" she asked, and Levy felt a blush glowing on her cheeks.

"I just want to be prepared," she said shyly, pulling nervously on her fingers. "I-I mean, I want to help when the baby gets here. If I can."

"Hey, darlin'," Brant said, wheeling himself over to Levy so he could tilt her head up with a finger. "You'll be expected to help when the baby gets here just like every other member of this family," he said sternly, but the smile on his face belated the seriousness of his tone. "You too, you freeloader!" Brant said, pointing at Droy with a smirk, and the young man pouted.

"I already was gonna!" Droy said defensively.

"Good to see we all agree then!" Brant said happily, tickling Levy's stomach and giving his twin daughters quick kisses on their cheeks before going back to work.

"Hey Levy," Ivy started, looking at the younger girl curiously. "Why do you need to do so much research anyways? Have you never seen a baby before?"

Levy tensed up nervously, shooting Brant a quick look.

"You know, we don't actually know anything about your life from before you met Jet and Droy," Mary continued, the two twins looking at Levy with an unnerving intensity. "We know what happened to Droy, but how did you end up at Fairy Tail?"

"I-I…" Levy stammered nervously, her hand automatically going to the necklace around her throat. As she grew older, her mother's necklace started to fit more properly on her thin neck, and Levy still found more comfort in the smooth glass than she had found in any book.

"Girls, if she doesn't want to talk about it, don't bother her," Brant said, watching Levy worriedly. He only knew part of the story of Levy's unconventional orgins, and Levy was sure that even though she hadn't straight out told him she was part-fae, he had probably worked it out for himself. The scars on her back were very distinctive, after all.

"Well come on, we're just curious!" Mary said with a pout. "Jet and Droy don't even know, and the three of them are together _all the time!" _

"Leave her alone," Jet said, frowning at his sisters. Droy looked distinctly uncomfortable and slowly edged towards Levy, his hand wrapping around her thin wrist.

"Are you an orphan too?" Ivy asked.

"Where are you from?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

"What kind of magic did your parents use?"

"I need some air!" Levy said loudly, pushing herself off the counter and scrambling out of the room. She could hear Brant start to chastise his daughters as Leena tried to see what was going on from the living room, but Levy only focused on getting into the backyard. She flung the door open with a muted bang, racing towards the large tree that overlooked the canal that ran behind their house. A large slat of wood sat amongst the branches, put there when Willow had been younger than Levy herself was, and it was to that simple treehouse that Levy ran to now; climbing up the ladder with ease and throwing herself down amongst the pillows and blankets that were kept up there.

Her whole body was trembling as she crawled towards the far corner, grabbing her favorite pillow and clutching it close to her chest as she curled around it. The enchantment around the edge of the platform that kept bugs and the elements from getting in buzzed against her back, making her scars tingle and burn. Levy focused on that feeling, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm back down. But Mary and Ivy's questions had opened the floodgates to memories that had slowly begun to fade over time; kicking up sand as she raced along the beach, playing with some of the island's wildlife while her mother hovered protectively nearby, soaking her feet in the fairy pools whenever they got too rough and cut up and letting the magic of the island heal her small wounds.

She'd been away from Tenroujima for four years now, and she still missed it terribly. Her mother even more so, but Levy couldn't think of her without breaking down into sobs.

Levy had shifted on to her back and was busy watching the clouds pass through the leaves by the time she heard someone approaching her hiding spot. It wasn't a very good hiding place, seeing as everyone in the Allen family knew how much Levy loved the simple treehouse. She didn't acknowledge their approach, just continued to stare up into the sky. The floorboards creaked and she could feel Jet and Droy as they joined her, laying on their backs as well with their heads on either side of Levy's.

"... You okay?" Jet asked softly, and Levy sighed.

"I'm better," she said, clutching her pillow closer to her chest.

"Ivy and Mary are really sorry they upset you," Droy told her. "They didn't mean to be so pushy."

"Well, they were," Levy grumbled, and Jet snorted.

"Yeah, Dad's pretty upset with them."

The three teammates lay there in silence for a while, Jet and Droy waiting for Levy to talk and Levy deciding what to say. She sighed, tilting her head to the side so she could look at Jet and then Droy.

"Does it really bother you guys that you don't know?" she asked softly, and the two boys shared a look.

"If you're not ready-"

"That's not what I asked."

The two fell silent again, and Levy waited for their answer with a nervous lump in her throat.

"... We're curious, yeah," Droy started, reaching up to find her hand with his own. "And you know you can trust us, Levy."

"But it is _your _past, and you don't have to tell us until you're ready," Jet finished, taking Levy's opposite hand. "We don't care where you came from as long as you're here."

Levy pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling, squeezing their hands back. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "it's just hard to…"

"I get it," Droy said gently, pressing his forehead against her temple, and Levy remembered that his past was just as sad as hers, if not more so. Brant had found him during a raid by child slavers, bringing the young boy to safety. They hadn't been able to find his parents in the aftermath, and they were assumed dead. Droy had been living with the Allens ever since.

"... If I tell you, you have to promise not to treat me any different," Levy said, rolling onto her stomach so she could push herself upright. Jet and Droy followed her example with a little less grace, watching her with wide eyes.

"You don't have to right now-"

"We didn't mean-"

Levy held out her hands, shushing them easily. "I want to," she said, taking a deep breath before smiling at them. "I trust you guys. We're a team, after all!"

The two boys watched her with wide eyes before nodding, grinning widely back at her. Levy took a deep breath, touching her mother's necklace before looking back at her teammates.

"I was born on an island off the southeastern coast of Fiore…"

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_Well this chapter was a **bitch** to write. It took forever for me to decide how to make it work. For those of you who are wondering, Leena works in a textiles guild and works as one of the head weavers. Brant was injured on a job, thus the wheelchair. Willow is a name I picked myself, but Ivy and Mary are - like most of the names in their family lol - a Flash reference. Jet's full name is a NCIS reference and yes, I know his canon name isn't Jethro. I gave Levy wings, leave me be lol._

_Next chapter should be getting closer to canon, and will have more of the guild in it. I don't know when it'll be done seeing as the Gajevy smut week starts next week, and I have several other projects going at the same time as this one, but I promise I won't abandon this fic. I love it too dang much!_

_Casual reminder that I thrive off of reviews and favorites, and I would really like your guys' feedback. This fic is my baby, and I would love to hear what you guys think, or clarify anything that may confuse you. Thank you so much for reading!_

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	4. with a faery (I)

_There's so many OC's in this fic at this point that my normal disclaimer is kind of moot. Y'all know who I own and who I don't._

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"I'm booooored!"

Levy rolled her eyes, making a quick prayer for patience before turning to face the young man next to her. "We aren't even there yet," she said, frowning at Natsu.

"Walking is boring," Natsu whined, and both Jet and Droy snapped their heads towards the Dragon Slayer so fast Levy was nervous that they'd break something.

"You're the one who threw a fit about taking a carriage!" Droy said incredulously. Jet looked like he was about to strangle the other teenager, and Levy quickly stepped between the three.

"Look, we're almost there," she placated. "Besides, Natsu's no use to us if he's still green around the gills from motion sickness."

"You have gills?" Happy asked Natsu innocently, and the older boy pouted at the only girl in their group.

"I resent that."

"I resent dragging you along," Jet muttered.

"Woah, is that the place?" Levy said quickly before Natsu could launch himself at Jet, laughing nervously as she pointed towards the building rising in the distance. The walk honestly hadn't been bad, only 45 minutes or so outside of Magnolia, and Levy had enjoyed the chance to revel in the perfect spring weather.

The job they were currently going on had been a special request from Makarov; an escort job, helping the daughter of a wealthy merchant get from her summer home to the boarding school she attended. The client was only a couple years older than 14-year-old Levy, so Makarov had figured that the client would be most comfortable with mages closer to her in age. That hadn't been the only reason, but if Levy started to think about the other, she would probably start running to meet the client.

She needed to be calm right now. Levy was the daughter of the Titania, a princess of Tenroujima, and she wouldn't let her first impression on the only other half-fae she had ever heard of be one of a nervous and giddy teenager.

There had been seven fae kingdoms years ago, Tenroujima being one of the smallest, and though most had died out - sick with disease or captured by Fairy Hunters, there were small pockets of fae still in hiding, and even more half-fae wandering about. At least, that was what Levy hoped.

Originally, it was only supposed to be Team Shadowgear going on the job; all of whom were already in on the secret existence of people with fae blood running hot and thick through their veins. Levy had asked Natsu along at the last second, however; thinking he would make up for what Team Shadowgear lacked in pure, destructive power. Besides, she liked hanging out with the Dragon Slayer when he wasn't whining. They had become close friends over the past couple of years, and Levy figured she would try to see if she could convince him and Happy to join Shadowgear instead of bouncing around from team to team or going solo. Feeling the animosity coming from either side of her, Levy watched as her dreams of two new members of Shadowgear got shot out of the sky.

Oh well. She, Jet, and Droy worked best as a trio anyways.

"It smells funny here," Natsu said, his nose crinkling.

"Good funny or bad funny?" Droy asked, and Natsu's mouth twisted.

"Can't tell," he said slowly. "Just… Funny."

"Smells fine to me," Jet said, looking around. As they got closer to the manor, the fields around them started to look more and more looked-after; the wild grass was trimmed, the moss in the trees disappeared, and the wild flowers were replaced with well-tended flower beds filled with exotic plants. Levy could practically feel Droy's desire to get some clippings to take home and add to the garden he had in the Allen's backyard. He had a pretty good crop of exotic fruits and vegetables by now, all helped to grow in the small plot by his Plant Magic, and he brought in a small profit once a month selling them at the Magnolia Harvest Market with the help of the rest of the Allen family.

"Maybe it's these weird flowers," Happy chirped, hopping off of Levy's shoulder and flying over to inspect them. He sniffed one with bright purple petals before yelping loudly, flying quickly to hide his face in Natsu's scarf. "Those flowers smell terrible!" he cried, covering his nose with his paws. Levy reached over to scratch the cat behind his ears soothingly.

"I think they're from somewhere in the North Continent," Droy mused, kneeling down to get a closer look. "I've seen them in books, but never this far down south!"

"We get them imported." The Fairy Tail mages all whipped their heads towards the voice, looking at the tall, gaunt man that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. His clothes weren't particularly formal, but they were very well-made; a clear sign of wealth.

"You must be the Fairy Tail mages," he continued, stepping closer with a grin. Levy stepped forward as well, shaking his hand when he offered it and smiling sweetly.

"Yes, we're Team Shadowgear; I'm Levy, and these are my partners Jet and Droy," she said, her polite manner coming from years of practice. "These are our friends Natsu Dragneel and Happy; they agreed to come along with us so we could provide the best protection possible." Natsu saluted cheekily at the older man, grinning widely.

"Wassup?" he said, and Levy sighed, rolling her eyes fondly at his casual attitude.

"I am Alaneo," the man said, bowing his head towards the teenagers. They all returned his gesture; Happy bowed so far forward that he slipped off of Natsu's shoulder, the Dragon Slayer catching his partner easily. "Forgive me for saying this," Alaneo said warily, "but you all seem a bit young to be the correct mages for this job…"

"Yes, yes we are!" Happy said enthusiastically, and Droy facepalmed.

"I assure you, sir, we're one of the most highly capable teams in Fairy Tail," Jet said with a confident grin. "We're perfect for this job."

"In more ways than one," Levy said, looking Alaneo straight in the eye. He pursed his lips for a moment before glancing at the guild mark on Natsu's shoulder, then nodding.

"Right this way then," he said, turning and leading the teenagers closer to the manor. "My Mistress is very excited to meet all of you," he mentioned, his tone lighter than before. "We normally hire our escort from Phantom Lord, but the last time we did, they demanded to be paid twice as much for their services and were extremely rude to the Mistress's mother when she didn't immediately comply."

Levy and Jet shared a look, ignoring the sounds of Natsu gagging in disgust behind them. More and more horror stories were popping up from clients who had worked with Phantom Lord recently, and Levy was starting to feel a bit nervous. Phantom Lord was the most well-known mage's guild in Fiore, and if they started to treat their clients like crap, it would discourage people from taking business up with the smaller guilds like Fairy Tail. So far it had been good for business, but Levy still was wary.

"I assure you that you and your employers won't have to worry about that with Fairy Tail," Levy said, keeping her tone light and friendly. "We do our best to run a clean business, and our client's safety comes before anything else." Alaneo looked over his shoulder at the young woman and grinned.

"You have a very good head on your shoulders, young lady," he said, and Levy smiled shyly.

"I've been doing this for a while," she admitted. "You learn to pick up the lingo pretty quickly."

Levy had quickly become the unofficial leader of Shadowgear after they started taking official missions, using her charismatic personality and quick wit to overcome any challenge they faced. They had become one of the highest ranked teams in Fairy Tail in only two years, and Levy couldn't be more proud of herself and her friends.

Alaneo asked them a few more questions as they walked, mostly about their experience and what kind of magic they used, all of which they were happy to answer. The conversation came to halt as they approached the entrance to the manor. There was a carriage already hitched and prepped in the driveway, various pieces of luggage strapped to the top.

"It's a two hour journey to the school, and there will be room for two of you in the carriage with Mistress Juliane," Alaneo said. "I'll go fetch the Mistress now; please take as long as you like to discuss strategy." He bowed his head again before turning and entering the house, leaving the four mages outside.

"Great, more walking," Droy muttered, and Levy gently punched his shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll trade off!" she said with a smile. "Natsu, I'm going to take a wild guess and say you don't mind walking the whole time?" The Dragon Slayer nodded vigorously.

"Keep me out of that torture device," he said with a nervous shake to his voice, making Levy laugh. Jet and Droy snorted loudly, the Plant Mage patting Natsu's back.

"It'll be best if you're outside anyways," Levy said with a grin. "You're going to be the first line of defense, and you can use your enhanced senses to watch for anyone approaching." Natsu nodded, grinning brightly.

"Sounds good!"

"Jet, do you mind walking first?" Levy continued. Jet's expression twisted in a grimace and Levy quickly plowed on before he could make his complaints vocal. "You're a Speed Mage, you're most useful to us when you can run. And you can trade off with Droy every half hour, so it's only really another hour of walking."

"What about you?" Droy asked. Levy grinned at him.

"Well, I'm staying in the carriage with Ms. Juliane, of course!"

Jet and Droy glowered at Levy, looking distinctly unamused, but Levy just quirked her eyebrow and tugged on one of the long locks of hair hanging in front of her ear. Jet and Droy had been wonderfully patient with her the past few days while she fretted over meeting another person with the same magical parentage as her own; helping her pick out the perfect outfit, talking her down when the Solid Script Mage worked herself into a panic, and giving in to her requests for reassuring hugs whenever she asked. Levy made a mental note to do something super nice when they got back to make it up to her boys.

"I hate when you pull that on us," Jet said, the corner of his lip pulling up.

"Pull what?" Natsu asked, and Levy just shook her head.

"It's a Shadowgear thing," she explained, poking his forehead. Natsu growled playfully, preparing to launch himself at Levy for one of their wrestling matches, but the door to the manor swung open, and they all quickly snapped back to attention. Levy patted her hair down nervously, making sure her necklace hung right around her thin shoulders and that there was no dust on the skirt of her sundress before straightening her back. She tried to hold herself like she remembered her mother would, all graceful lines and a powerful calm.

She was shaking nervously instead. Droy rested his hand against the small of her back, just between her twin sets of scars, and she focused on the familiar touch, clinging to it like a lifeline.

Alaneo held the door open for a young woman, and as soon as she stepped into the sunlight, Levy's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. Mistress Juliane was a typical Northerner; with strong features set into a square face, dark hair, and pale skin. But instead of dark, endless eyes, she had eyes a startlingly bright shade of sea green, and freckles were dusted across her cheeks. She was almost as short as Levy was, and she almost looked light enough for the wind to pick it up if not for the full, long skirt she wore that brushed the ground.

"Mistress, may I introduce your escort from Fairy Tail," Alaneo said, gesturing to the teenagers. "This is Levy, Jet, Droy, and Natsu."

"And I'm Happy!" the cat chirped from Natsu's shoulder, and Juliane smiled shyly at them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said, her voice little more than a murmur. "You're much younger than the last mages to escort me," she said bluntly, and Levy smiled, stepping forward.

"Believe me," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear and revealing the adolescent point to the tip, "we're the best team for you."

Juliane's eyes widened, and her smile grew to reveal a gap between her front teeth. She repeated Levy's action, revealing her own pointed ear before letting her hair fall to cover it back up. The two girls smiled brightly at each other, and Levy was pretty sure her face would crack in half from how wide her smile was.

Natsu, who was on Levy's opposite side and couldn't see the distinctly fae attribute, grinned widely back at the other girl. "Well, let's get a move on then!" he cheered, bouncing in place.

"If we go now, we should be there well before sundown," Droy explained, and Juliane nodded.

"Yes, that sounds reasonable," she said, walking to join the other teenagers. Her eyes never left the Solid Script Mage, and Levy found it hard to look away as well. She was practically overflowing with questions, and she had to bite down on her lower lip to keep them all from bubbling out. They shared a secret smile before Alaneo held his hand out to help the young women into the carriage.

Juliane went first, and when she lifted her skirt, there was a flick of a dark tail under the layers of crinoline and fabric. Levy watched as the only other half-fae she had ever met disappeared into the cool cabin, holding out her hand for the young mage to take with a mischievous quirk to her lips that Levy recognized from her own reflection.

"You and I have a lot to discuss," Juliane said in her whisper-soft voice, and Levy smiled brightly back, taking the hand that had been offered to her.

"It would be an honor."

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_**So many OCs,** oh my god. I swear they have plot relevance, and once we get to canon there's not going to be a lot showing up, except for Jet's family and Juliane, and even she's going to only be around until just before the Phantom Lord arc. So for those who aren't big fans of OCs in kinda-Canon fics, hang in there. It'll be over soon. _

_On the other hand, I have good news and baddish news. Good news! I know exactly how many chapters there are until this fic starts to line up with canon! There's the second part of this chapter, one more when Levy is 15, and one more just before the Phantom Lord arc, and then we're in the clear! Most of those are going to be pretty heavy, but they're going to set up some important stuff for later in the fic, so again, bear with me._

_Baddish news time. I am now working two part-time jobs. On one hand, this means I'm going to start getting a livable wage and can move out of my parent's place, but it also means I have less time to work on fics. I've been pretty good with it recently, but I haven't technically started my second job yet, so we'll see how it plays out. _

_Thank you all so much for all your support and for your continued reviews. They really help me figure out where to take this fic and what needs more explanation, so keep them coming! Hopefully there will be an Aladdin AU and Nest fic update next!_

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	5. with a faery (II)

_Disclaimer: You know what I own and what I don't._

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**WARNING! There is a scene in this chapter where someone is purposely trying to trigger someone else while holding them in a very dark space. Serious trigger warnings for psychological torture and nyctophobia (fear of the dark). Please be careful and read with caution.**

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The knock on the carriage door came halfway through the last stage of their journey. Levy shot both Juliane and Jet worried looks, motioning for the young woman to pull a blanket over her legs to cover the tail she had let out as soon as the doors had closed at the beginning of the trip.

The Script Mage peeked out the window, her eyes meeting the back of Natsu's head. "What's up?" she murmured, looking around nervously.

"Someone's been following us for ten minutes," the Fire Dragon Slayer replied just as quietly, never breaking his stride. "They're staying just out of sight, beyond the tree line, but they're getting closer." His expression was harder than Levy had ever seen it, and she took a moment to be grateful that he was taking this job seriously; whether it was due to his competitive spirit with Phantom Lord or if he had picked up on how important it was to her.

"Is it the Hunter?" Juliane asked in her whisper soft voice, eyes wide with fear. Her tail started to twitch nervously, and Levy was distracted by its movements for a moment. Where Levy had inherited her mother's wings for the short time that she had them, the Northerner had inherited her father's tail. It looked like a lion's tail; covered in soft, downy fur a few shades darker than her pale skin and tipped with dark hair that had started to frizz up at the mention of the man following them.

Levy reactivated the '_SILENCE_' script she had braced against the door at the start of the trip so that Natsu couldn't overhear their conversations with a wave of her hand, her golden eyes focused intensely on Juliane.

"Hunter?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing together. Juliane shuddered at the name, and Jet quickly leaned over to rub her back soothingly.

"You're safe," he reminded her gently. "We won't let anything happen to you." Juliane smiled gratefully at the Speed Mage, leaning into his touch before taking a steadying breath.

"We don't know his name," she said slowly. "Only his title." Her eyes burned into Levy's. "He's a Fairy Hunter."

The young woman jerked back, inhaling sharply. "They're still around?" Levy hissed, ignoring the way her hands had started to shake. She could still remember the way her mother's tone had dropped when warning her daughter about the dangers outside their island paradise.

_"What's a Hunter, Mother?" Levy asked, curled up against Ardelle's stomach as they laid in the grass. A family of foxes played a little ways away, but the four-year-old was entirely focused on her mother. She had heard one of her aunts mention it, whispering in low tones together as they wondered if the sickness that had struck their island had been the work of Hunters. More fae were dying by the day, and where the entire island had once been well-populated, now there were only ten left._

_"They're..." Ardelle trailed off, seemingly turning the words over in her head. "They are mages that track our kind down, taking us from our homes and using us for their own gain," she said finally, her voice low and somber. Levy shifted nervously, her wings fluttering against the grass. _

_"They won't come here, right Mother?" _

_Ardelle looked over at Levy with a soft smile, sitting up and scooping her daughter into her lap. She hugged Levy tightly, and Levy clung back just as tight. "Of course not, love," she murmured, pressing her lips into the little girl's hair. "The island is too well hidden for them to find us here. I don't even know if there's any left, we haven't had news from any of the other kingdoms in so long."_

_Levy nodded, smiling softly as she watched the fox cubs chase each other around. "If we ever go visit the other fae, I'll be super careful," she promised her mother, and the Titania smiled. _

"_I know you will, love." _

"I don't know if there's more than him. He's been trying to get me for years," Juliane continued, pulling Levy from her memories. "I don't think it matters that I don't have any magic, he somehow found out about my tail and hasn't given us any peace since."

"And he targets you while you're going from school to home and vice-versa because it's easier to get to you," Jet said with a frown.

There was another knock from the outside of the carriage, and Levy huffed as she dissolved the '_SILENCE' _script.

"Did you just mute yourself?" Natsu hissed, pouting at her.

"Sorry, working on a plan and didn't want to risk the guy following us hearing," Levy lied smoothly, reaching across the carriage to open the window on Droy's side. The Plant Mage was trudging along next to the carriage, nearly out of breath from keeping up with the horses.

"Please tell me it's time to switch," he gasped out, and Levy couldn't help but smile.

"Kinda," she said with a shrug. "You're gonna get to ride on the carriage, so there's that."

"Wait what do you mean 'ride _on'-"_

"Jet, we're only a few miles away from the school, I want you to take Juliane there," the Solid Script Mage said, ignoring Droy's question. "Droy, you're gonna stick with Alaneo and protect him and the carriage for the rest of the trip."

"What about you?" Juliane asked, and Levy looked at her with a determined expression.

"Natsu and I are going to get rid of your Hunter problem for good," she said, grinning when she heard Natsu's quiet "_Yessss!" _outside of the carriage.

"Levy, you can't!" Juliane whispered, eyes wide. Her hand went up to Levy's ear, her smooth fingers finding the small point. "You're in as much danger from him as I, if not more!" She lowered her voice even more. "The sole heir of a Titania is a far greater prize than a merchant's daughter."

Levy smiled softly, taking Juliane's hand away from her ear and clasping it tightly in her own. "It's my job to protect you," she replied just as softly, "both as a Fairy Tail Mage and heir of Tenroujima. I'll be fine!" Juliane searched Levy's gaze, and must have found whatever she was looking for since she let go of her hand. She nodded.

"Be safe, your Majesty," she murmured, and something deep in Levy's chest warmed and twisted at the use of the title. Levy looked over at Jet, who looked two seconds away from protesting.

"Keep her safe," Levy cut in quickly. "She's my family as much as you are."

Jet sighed. "I'm not going to talk you out of this, am I?"

"It's not likely," Levy teased, leaning over towards the window on Droy's side. "You know what to do," she told her teammate, and he nodded.

A few moments later, the carriage rocked violently as the wheel hit something in the road. Levy couldn't see it, but she knew a large vine had appeared over the road and under the cart's wheel, just like they had planned.

"Stop the carriage!" Levy called out to Alaneo. "I think we hit something!" The carriage slid to a slow halt, and Levy grabbed the door handle. She turned to look at her two companions. Jet had braced himself against the opposite door, ready to take off as soon as she opened the door, and Juliane was clinging to his back, her tail looped around his waist to anchor her.

"See you there," Levy said with a grin before throwing the door open.

Jet took off like a shot, Juliane letting out a nervous yell as they passed Droy and Alaneo. A ball of black smoke shot after them and with a yell, Levy threw up a '_SHIELD'_ script between the two.

Using the frame of the carriage as a brace, Levy swung out of the carriage, racing towards where the attack had come from. "Droy, stay with Alaneo!" she called over her shoulder, only waiting to see Droy pull himself onto the top of the carriage with a sturdy vine, Happy flying next them, before turning back to see where she was going. She felt Natsu's magic burning through the air as he joined her, smoke curling out from between his teeth bared in a vicious smile.

"Let's see how fast you are with those skinny legs of yours!" he taunted, and Levy rolled her eyes.

"You're way too excited about this!" she replied with an equally vicious grin, both ducking out of the way as another attack was aimed at them. They joined back up, Natsu just barely taking the lead as they raced into the forest.

There was movement in the trees, and Levy's eyes narrowed. "Solid Script: _NET," _she yelled, her hands moving quickly and throwing the word towards the attacker. Just as the net was about to curl around them, they managed to dodge, smoke curling around the script and burning it away. Levy felt her upper lip pull back in a snarl.

Natsu cackled next to her. "_Fire Dragon's-" _

"Wait!" Levy slapped a hand over his chest, her breath catching in her throat as Natsu's fists turned red. "You're gonna burn the whole forest up!" Levy warned, grabbing a branch and using it to swing herself into the forest and over the shrubs that blocked her way. Years of navigating the forests of Tenroujima came back to her in a rush, and the Solid Script Mage ducked easily between the trees, her feet never stumbling.

"Aw, come on!" Natsu whined, following her with a bit less grace. "Lemme punch something!"

Levy's eyes never left the man running away from them. "Punch? Yes. Incinerate? Less so." They chased after him for several minutes, both mages trying to catch the Hunter with their magic. He was slippery, and Levy felt her frustration mounting more and more. Natsu managed to do a controlled burn of the forest in front of the running man, but some more of that black smoke wrapped around him, and he vanished into the flames.

"CRAP!" Natsu roared, letting the wall of flames drop so they could continue to follow the man. They stumbled into a clearing, the two mages coming to a halt in the center. Levy held her hands up in front of her, looking around the clearing quickly. She could feel Natsu pressed against her back, tense and ready to attack.

Tension descended thick on the two as they tried to find the mage they had been pursuing through the sounds of the forest, and when a branch snapped somewhere to Levy's right followed by a muttered curse, they both spun around to face it.

"FOUND YA'!" Natsu yelled, taking off like a shot before Levy could properly register what had happened.

"Natsu, wait!" Levy took a step towards him, hand outstretched, but the Fire Dragon Slayer was already gone, fire wrapped around his fists as he disappeared into the forest. She sighed, rubbing her forehead before running her fingers back through her bangs. "If he wasn't such a good fighter, I'd kill him," she grumbled. Making to follow after her friend, Levy stopped when there was a sudden flux of magical power behind her.

"_Interesting._"

Levy screamed as black smoke wrapped around her legs and hips, holding her firmly in place so she couldn't look at the man who had spoken. It was cold against her skin, and she felt panic bubbling up in her chest. "NATSU!" she yelled, praying that he hadn't gone too far and would be back before the smoke swallowed her up.

"LEVY!" His muffled yell echoed through the forest, and the overwhelming wave of relief only lasted until the smoke curled up over her shoulder and around her mouth. It tasted like ash on her tongue, and she had to fight the urge to gag.

"I think we need a moment to speak alone," the voice said, closer now, and the smoke quickly spread across the forest floor, radiating out from her until it was a large, perfect circle on the ground. Levy watched Natsu break through the treeline, grey eyes wide with fear, before the darkness closed in around her.

The bindings around her lower body disappeared, and she stumbled back. The panic was back as she spun in circles, trying to make out anyone in the darkness. There was nothing - just a black so thick and depthless she thought she had gone blind.

"Solid Script: _LIGHT!" _Levy cried out, throwing her hand up. She felt her magic rush to do as she told it, felt the word solidify and float in the air, but couldn't see it. Her hand started to shake, and she had to focus on not hyperventilating.

"And here I had thought that the rich one was the only half-fae left in the area." The voice was to her right, and with a yell, Levy flung the still-hidden _'LIGHT' _script at them. "Temper temper, young lady," the voice taunted, and Levy wanted to scream.

"Who are you?" she demanded, trying to force her voice not to shake. The voice chuckled lowly, and she knew she had failed.

"We both know who I am."

"Your _name_, asshole." The laugh this time was sharp and fast.

"Your words won't help you this time, little faeling. So who was it; your mother? Father?" Levy stayed silent, her fist clenched at her sides. She wanted to fling her title at him, make him understand the gravity of his decision to attack her. She was the heir of Tenroujima, but there was no Tenroujima anymore. No army of fae with swords and magic to come to her aid. She had to rely on her other army.

"I'm a Fairy Tail mage," Levy growled, "and attacking me will be the worst mistake you ever make."

There was a muted roar from outside the sphere of smoke, and she could feel the heat on her back.

"Got a little guard dragon, huh?"

"Dragon Slayer, technically."

"He can't help you in here, faeling."

Even in the dark, Levy's grin was vicious. "You'd be surprised." The voice hummed, behind her now. They kept moving around her, and she was starting to get dizzy trying to keep track of them. It didn't help that she still couldn't see anything. Her hands were shaking terribly, too badly for her to stop, and something in Levy knew that the Hunter could see it. She _hated_ that he could see how scared she was, but 'scared' wasn't the same as 'helpless'.

Natsu pounded on the walls of the sphere, yelling her name. Levy heard it like she was submerged underwater.

"No tail, no wings, but you have the ears," the Hunter said, sounding like she was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. Levy wondered how he had seen her ears, then remembered pushing her hair back when Natsu had taken off and cursed. "And the magic. Won't be able to sell any of the parts, but that's what the Lady is for-"

"Don't you dare touch Juliane!" Levy shouted.

"It's not her I want, just the tail. She can do whatever she wants after that, as long as I get what I want." The thought of Juliane - sweet, quiet, blunt Juliane - having to live through what Levy lived through, losing the part of her that tied her to her people, made bile rise up her throat.

"You'll never lay a hand on her," she bit out, her fingers going numb as all her magic pooled there, wanting to come out and injure the Hunter until he wouldn't be able to walk, nevermind going after Juliane. But she couldn't attack what she couldn't see, and he was too quiet and moving too sporadically for her to take a guess.

"But you have _magic_. Most don't, you know. I wonder how much of a price you'd fetch?"

Levy felt shivers go down her spine. The pounding on the dome got louder.

"My teammates will find me," she told him.

"Your teammates can't get to you when you're a mere five feet away."

Levy wanted to find the guy just so she could punch him in the face.

Heat flared against her back, and for a moment the dark was dissipated by the warm glow of Natsu's flames. It was murky, and Levy felt her breath catch in her throat when she couldn't see the Hunter in front of her. The light faded, and she felt something grab the back of her dress.

Levy screamed as the back of her dress was ripped open, revealing her scars and the back strap of her bra. She scrambled away, holding up the front of her sundress as tried to still her hand's shaking long enough to form the right hand gestures. The rip stopped right at the curve of her back, and she was grateful for at least that mercy.

"I see someone got to you before I did," he said, disappointment in his voice, and Levy screamed in wordless rage.

"SOLID SCRIPT: _LIGHT!" _she yelled again, once more throwing it up towards the top of the dome. Levy held nothing back, letting her magic flow from someplace just behind her stomach and into the word until she could start to see it cut through the dark.

She could start to make out the Hunter's expression now, and it looked somewhere between fear and elation. "You _do _have the fae's magic," he said, and Levy snarled, the light getting brighter and brighter. She could see Natsu now, the dome becoming thinner as her magic cut through the darkness, and his expression was almost feral as he took a deep breath.

"And you'll never have a drop," she told him, quickly conjuring a '_SHIELD' _script and ducking behind it just as she heard Natsu yell, "_FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"_

When Levy opened her eyes, the darkness was gone, and she was back in the field. She heard birds chirping in the distance, and suddenly sobs were choking her airways. Levy curled up on herself, trying to keep all of her fear and panic from flowing out of her. It wouldn't do anyone any good if she kept it all locked up inside, but god, it _hurt._

She felt muscles in her stomach contract, trying to flutter her wings, and a fresh wave of sobs pressed against her throat. There were hands on her shoulders, and Levy jerked back, ready to punch the Hunter as hard as she could in the nose, just how Willow taught her. But it was only Natsu, rapidly-drying tear tracks on his cheeks and a bruise on his jaw.

"He's out, Levy," Natsu told her in a hushed tone. "He's unconscious. We just have to bind him and set off a flare, and you'll never have to see him again." An edge of hysteria entered his voice. "You're safe, Lev," he told her, searching her gaze. "You're _okay_." She jerked back when he tried to pull her into a hug, and Natsu's expression shifted from confusion, to hurt, to anger, in a heartbeat.

"Lev, what did he do to you?" he asked, his voice a low growl, and Levy could only stare at him in shock. She'd never seen him this angry before. She was almost scared that if he let go of her shoulders, he'd go right back around her '_SHIELD_' and show the Hunter exactly why dragons were one of the most feared creatures on the planet.

"J-just taunted me," Levy said quickly, before Natu could make good on the threat in his eyes. "Talked about Juliane, w-wondered how much he could get for me. He ripped my dress."

Natsu was pulling his vest around her narrow shoulders before she could blink, carefully pulling her hair out from the collar and giving her an almost shy smile. "Good thing Jet and Droy aren't here," he said; "they'd probably fight for half an hour to see who had the honor of letting you borrow his shirt." Natsu grinned, and Levy only felt a little bad for laughing.

Her laughter quickly dissolved back into sobs, and this time she didn't stop the Fire Dragon Slayer as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm right here," he promised. "I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you, okay? Neither are Jet and Droy." Levy nodded, trying to muffle her sobs into her palm. Natsu was carefully rubbing her back, like they'd both seen Makarov do when they were young and frightened, and the pressure against her scars made her sobs press against her throat. She needed to be more careful, needed to be prepared to defend herself should the Hunter somehow get word out that there was a half-fae child in the Fairy Tail guild.

If that happened, Levy wouldn't be the only one in trouble. Cana, Mirajane, Erza, Lisanna, that new girl Evergreen; they would all be in danger just for being around the right age and having the same mark as Levy. She couldn't let that happen, no matter what.

"Come on," Natsu urged gently, standing up slowly as he brought her carefully up with him. "Do you think you can bind him for me? I can set off the flare."

Levy nodded, taking a deep breath and putting her arms properly through the armholes of Natsu's vest before letting her '_SHIELD_' script dissolve. She looked down at the Hunter and felt that reserve of magic just behind her stomach twist anxiously. Plain was the kindest way to describe him, with his misshapen nose and tight frown lines around his mouth and eyes. He had to be in his 50's, which would explain how he knew about the fae in the first place. The last recorded fae sighting had been nearly 30 years ago, long before Levy was born.

"Solid Script: _Net_," she said, waving her hand over the Hunter's still form, and with Natsu's help, kicked in some '_NAILS_' so he couldn't get away (Natsu had been sure to take any weapons off of him, a smart move that Levy was ashamed to be surprised by). While she went and dumped the weapons in the river, the Fire Dragon Slayer sent up a flare in the shape of the Fairy Tail mark, and it was still burning bright when Levy returned.

"Ready to go?" he asked her, a concerned frown on his lips, and Levy nodded quickly.

"I don't want to be around him any longer than I have to be," she said truthfully. Natsu's frown deepened, but he didn't say anything as Levy started off through the trees again, following the scorch marks Natsu had left when they first ran through. They made it back to the main road fairly quickly, and Levy felt her pulse start to beat faster when she saw the sun starting to dip below the horizon. Despite never having a fear of the dark before, the thought of being out on an empty road at night so soon after her encounter with the Hunter left her feeling like her knees were about to collapse.

If Natsu noticed her wildly-beating heart, he didn't say anything; he only stood by her side as they looked out towards the horizon and the peaked towers of what Levy assumed to be Juliane's school in the distance. "Let's go," he murmured, and the two friends started walking in the direction Alaneo's cart had gone, never straying too far from each other's side.

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_*laughs nervously* So... That took a while to write. In my defense, the scene with the Hunter and Levy was **very **difficult to write, and if it didn't set up so many important things later in the fic, I would have cut the whole scene out. I promise it will be important later, and I apologize if anyone was negatively affected by that scene. _

_Now, good news and bad news time! Good news! The next chapter is already half done, and I'm planning on spending the next couple of weeks trying to catch up this fic with nest fic! Bad news; the next chapter is another downer. Not triggering (hopefully), but it does take place a few months after Lisanna's "death". The chapter after that will be pure fluff, I swear, and these sad chapters are setting up some very important stuff._

_A big thank you to Lionus for helping to edit this chapter! And hopefully the next chapter will be out soon! *whispers*goodreviewshelpmewritefaster_

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_do-fairys-have-tails . tumblr . com_


	6. and anxious in its sleep

_Disclaimer: You know what I own and what I don't._

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Death was something everyone in Fairy Tail was familiar with. Most of Erza's generation had come to the guild as orphans, looking for a home and family. Erza herself had seen more death in her short seventeen years than most adults ever witnessed, and she knew exactly how easily someone's life could be snuffed out in just an instant.

But despite this knowledge, Fairy Tail had always seemed untouchable. Death had no control over them, not in this guildhall that was saturated with life and magic and love. Enno and Macao's son was toddling around now, following Natsu like a duckling. Surely the fact that they had deemed it safe enough to settle down and have children was evidence that Fairy Tail was an oasis, free from the clutches of the thereafter?

But then Lisanna died.

Her death had rocked their world clear off of its foundations, leaving them all reeling. It had only been 3 months, and now they faced the loss of another of Fairy Tail's brightest lights. With the fall had come flu season, and while for most the illness had passed without incident, one Fairy had yet to recover.

"Are you going to visit Levy?"

Droy's quiet question traveled easily across the silent guild hall, and Erza lifted her head to look at where Makarov stood by the door. The remaining half of Shadowgear stood a few feet away, Droy nervously clutching his hands together and Jet bouncing on the balls of his feet. Erza had thought Levy had cured him of that nervous tick years ago, but it seemed her absence brought it back full force.

Makarov sighed, rubbing his chin. "Yes, I am. And no, you can't come with me."

"But Master-"

"You can't-"

"Levy's still much too sick to see anyone," Makarov said tiredly, cutting off both the boys' protests, "and I will not risk another one of my children falling ill."

"What's she even got?" Gray asked, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his fingers tapping at his biceps. "We were all sick for a few days and then were fine, but she's been locked up at Porlyusica's for nearly two weeks now." Quiet echoes of his question came from around the guild, all anxious to know how Levy was doing. Erza remained quiet, watching Makarov's reactions closely.

The guild master looked like he hadn't slept in days, pronounced dark circles hanging heavily under his eyes. That was the only sign of his distress however, and Erza wondered how much effort was going into looking composed so the rest of the guild had someone to look to for strength. It was no secret that Makarov had had a soft spot for Levy ever since the day he brought her home, and she could only imagine how he was handling not only Lisanna's death, but Levy's deteriorating health.

"I'll be back soon with news," was all he said in response, slipping out the door before anyone could question his cryptic answer.

Jet and Droy looked two seconds away from chasing Makarov down and demanding answers, but Macao was herding them towards a free table before the two sixteen year olds could even take a step.

"You know that if it was safe enough to visit Levy, you two would be the first he'd allow," he placated, his own expression drawn and tired. "We just have to trust that Porlyusica knows what she's doing and will bring her home soon enough."

"That's what you said a week ago," Jet bit out. He had dark circles that rivaled Makarov's, and Erza knew that despite Leena's gentle pushing, neither of the Allen boys had been eating well. "It's not right for him to keep us so in the dark! We're the only family she's got!"

"Hey, we're all Levy's family," Cana snapped, her hair frizzy from where she had been nervously running her fingers through it for days. "We all want to know what's going on." There were muttered agreements from all over the guild.

Taking a deep breath, Erza stood up sharply, making the guild go silent once again. "Jet, Droy," she said, her tone low and even. "With me."

"Where are you taking us?" Droy asked, and Erza's heart clenched at the frailty of his voice. It was well known that Droy and Levy were very close - both having been orphaned before being taken in by the Allen's, and both finding comfort in each other when the Allen's simply couldn't offer the support they needed - and Erza's resolve strengthened.

"We're going to Porlyusica's," she said firmly, and the muttering started up again. "Master's intentions may be good, but we all have a right to know what's going on." Macao looked wary. "It won't be a social visit," she reassured. "We'll go, find out what Levy's condition is, and come right back. Agreed?" she asked, looking towards the remaining members of Shadowgear. The two boys nodded, quickly going to her side as she started towards the door.

"Wait."

The three stopped, and Erza was the last to turn and look at the young woman who had also stood from her spot. Mirajane had been almost eerily quiet on the subject of Levy's illness in the past two weeks, though Erza didn't begrudge her that. Her sister wasn't even dead for three months, and here came another tragedy right on its heels.

"I'm coming with you," Mirajane said, her voice quiet and hoarse. Elfman looked like he was about to protest, but stayed quiet as the elder Take Over Mage stepped forward.

"Are you sure?"

Three months ago, Mirajane would have taken Erza's words of concern and seen them as a taunt, a cue to start a fight. But all the fight had left her, and she looked at Erza with an almost frail expression. "I'm not going to lose another sister," she said. "Not if I can help it."

The whole guild seemed to hold their breath, but Erza simply nodded. "We have to stay quiet. I know the way to Porlyusica's well enough that we don't have to follow the Master, but if he senses us, he'll send us right back."

The three nodded, and they left the silent guild hall and slipped into the streets.

The small group made good time through Magnolia, and it wasn't long before they reached the outskirts of town and began to walk through the forest. The path was well-broken, and Erza could still feel the residual magic that remained from when Makarov had passed through. He was far enough ahead that they hadn't seen him yet, but they were all still tensed and ready to jump into the rougher part of the forest just off the path if they needed to hide.

The walk to Porlyusica's was only about twenty minutes, and fifteen minutes in they stopped as they saw two figures camped out under a large tree. Natsu looked up at them and frowned. "I thought Gramps and Porlyusica had banned visitors," he said.

Natsu and Happy had been standing guard over Porlyusica's hut ever since Levy had been carried there, feverish and shaking, by a panicked Cana. Always having to stay on the edge of the property, several guild members- including Mirajane - had taken it upon themselves to bring food out to the two while they watched over the small hut, and Erza herself had been out several times to drag the two back to the guild for a bath and a proper night's sleep. Natsu had always been protective of his shorter friend since the escort job that had nearly gone horribly wrong a year ago, and that protectiveness had only increased after Lisanna's death.

Erza's saw that he had dark circles under his eyes as well, and was certain that if Levy didn't pull through, the guild may never recover.

"We're going under Master's nose," Jet said, his expression practically daring Natsu to turn them away. "We want to know how Levy's doing."

Natsu's shoulders tensed, and he nodded. "Let me know what ya find out," he said as they passed. "I'm just far enough that I can't hear a damn thing they're sayin'." Erza nodded at them, not missing how Mirajane stopped to scratch behind a sleeping Happy's ear with a sad smile.

They came into view of Porlyusica's home and all quickly ducked behind a tree as they saw Makarov slip inside, his tired expression pulling up into a strained smile. Erza thought she heard him call a hello to their sick friend and her current guardian, but the door closed too quickly for Erza to hear anything else.

They waited for a few moments until they knew Makarov wouldn't come back out before coming out of hiding. "The sick room is on the south side, come on," the Requip Mage instructed under her breath, and Jet took off, as silent as he was fast. Droy grumbled under his breath as they followed his teammate at a more reasonable pace, careful not to make any noise. When they came around the corner of the building, ducked low so that they wouldn't be spotted through the windows, Jet held his hand out to stop them from getting closer.

He was crouched under the large window that opened up into the sick room, the large panes pushed open to let out some of the stale air. Jet's expression was dark, but Erza would have to be blind to miss the fear and concern in his dark eyes. She could hear Porlyusica and Makarov speaking in low tones, and figured they were too close to the window for the rest of them to join the Speed Mage.

Mirajane either didn't notice the voices or didn't care, as she only waited for a minute before crawling over, ignoring how the dirt stained her palms and knees. "Mirajane!" Erza hissed, her voice barely more than a whisper, and both she and Droy quickly joined her. Jet have them all exasperated looks.

"-her parentage, it would only make sense." Erza tilted her head curiously, listening to the low, gravelly voice of Porlyusica. "Where did you say her father was from again?"

"The way Ar described him, he sounded like he heralded from Caelum," Makarov said, both adults cutting off as there was a feeble groan from somewhere by the window. The four teens tensed, listening closely to see if Levy was waking up. But nothing else happened, and after a moment, Porlyusica sighed.

"That would make sense. Since neither of her parents were born Fiorans, she doesn't have the proper immunities to our illnesses. Also, thanks to her... Untraditional background, her immune system is already weak."

Jet and Droy both tensed up on either side of Erza, and she noticed Droy's hands jerking up towards her ears. She turned and glared at him, but his expression was one of worry, and she figured he must have a good reason for wanting to keep whatever Porlyusica said next a secret from herself and Mirajane.

"She's never responded this badly before," Makarov murmured lowly.

"As I recall, she and the rest of Shadowgear tend to hole themselves up at the Allen's during flu season. It started sooner this year than is typical, perhaps she was planning on leaving later." Porlyusica hummed thoughtfully.

"You think she knew?"

"I think that Levy is a highly-intelligent young woman, and has asked me on multiple occasions what kind of health problems she should look out for."

The two adults were silent for a moment, and Erza took the brief silence as a chance to think over their words. It was obvious to anyone that Levy wasn't a Fiore native, what with her dark skin and generous amount of freckles, but it had never occurred to Erza that she might be in danger because of it. Most of the immigrants from Caelum knew to get vaccinated, but maybe Levy's weakened immune system meant she couldn't.

"So what can we do?" Makarov asked quietly, interrupting Erza's thoughts.

"I have found a potion that could help, but one of the ingredients is coming from the North, and it's taking longer than I had hoped," Porlyusica murmured. "If that yalarian doesn't make it in time, I fear the worst."

Jet and Droy shared a wide eyed look, and with a nod from Droy, a wide smile spread across Jet's lips. Waiting until she heard the two adults had left the room, Erza hissed "What are you two so excited about?"

"Didn't you hear Porlyusica?" Mirajane cut in, an undertone of grief to her voice. "Levy's _dying_."

"We know someone nearby that grows yalarian," Droy explained quickly, Jet bouncing on the balls of his feet next to him. "Remember that escort job we took with Natsu a while back?"

"It's hard to forget," Erza said dryly, thinking of all the nights in the past year that the young Script Mage had come to her in the middle of the night, propelled out of bed by nightmares of that day.

"Juliane, the girl we were guarding, is from the North!" Jet explained. "She and her manservant-guy grow Northern plants on their grounds! And she and Levy are close friends, she'd be willing to help! They're only an hour or so away, we could be there and back in half that."

She frowned. "Is that allowed?"

"Does it matter?" Mirajane shot back.

"Fair point," Erza conceded. "Jet, take Droy and see if they have the correct plants. We don't know if Porlyusica needs them fresh or dried..."

"It's easier to dry a plant than to bring it back to life," Droy said, "even with magic."

"Then keep it alive once you've got it," the Requip Mage instructed. The two boys nodded, Droy easily climbing onto Jet's back and holding on tightly as the Speed Mage took off at full speed.

They were out of view within seconds, and Erza felt more than a little pleased that her half-cocked plan to follow Makarov could be what saved their friend's life. "Alright then," the redhead said, turning back to look at her remaining companion. "Let's go back to the guild and tell everyone-"

Erza cut off as they heard a soft cry from inside the room. The cry was followed by a low, pained whimper, and she had her hand on the windowsill before she could even think. Pulling herself back, Erza took a deep breath. "We have to go tell everyone what's going on," she muttered, preparing to crawl away back towards the woods, but a thin hand clamped around her wrist.

When she turned back around, Mirajane was smiling sadly at her. She nodded towards the window. "Go on," she whispered. "I'll tell the others you went with Jet and Droy."

"But, I said it wouldn't be a-"

"She's having a nightmare, Erza," the Take Over Mage said softly. "And everyone knows you're the only one she goes to when she has nightmares." There was another whimper from the sick room, and Erza couldn't help but look at the window longingly. "Trust me," Mirajane said. "If… If she doesn't pull through-"

"She will," Erza said fiercely.

"If she doesn't," Mirajane continued, giving her a look that penetrated the other teenager's soul. "You don't want to regret all the times you didn't hold her."

Mirajane's hand shook where it held her wrist.

Barely thinking about the potential consequences and the years of rivalry between them, Erza pulled Mirajane into a tight hug, tangling her fingers into the older girl's white hair. She thought of Shô and Simon and Millianna and Wally, and pulled Mirajane closer.

"We won't lose her, I promise," she whispered, more sure of that one fact than almost anything else.

Mirajane had frozen when Erza first pulled her in, but after a few moments, relaxed and returned the tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered back. They clung onto each other for a few moments, until there was a deep, hacking cough from inside the sick room, and Mirajane pulled back. She smiled weakly at Erza, and the Requip Mage didn't hesitate to smile back.

"I'll meet you at the guild later," Erza promised, and with a nod and one last hug, Mirajane went back towards where Natsu was stationed. The redhead watched her go, and once she was sure that no one was in the room, she slipped in through the window.

The bed was pushed up against the right-hand wall, and Levy was practically buried underneath the handknit blankets. Her hair was a tangled halo around her flushed face, and she grimaced and squirmed in her sleep. Erza quickly and quietly crossed the room, carefully lifting the small girl up - instantly noticing how startlingly light the 15-year-old was - and settling herself on the bed.

She pulled Levy so that she was resting between her legs, the burning skin of her back pressed to Erza's chest and her head tucked against the older girl's shoulders. Levy's eyes cracked open, her body instinctively turning towards Erza's.

"'Za?" she muttered, her voice barely more than a croak. Erza tightened her grip on the Script Mage's waist, running her fingers gently through sweat-soaked blue curls.

"Shhh, I'm here," she whispered, smiling softly. "You're okay, I'm right here."

"Everything burns," Levy whimpered.

"Jet and Droy are going to bring Porlyusica something to help you get all better, okay?" Erza reassured. "You're going to be alright."

Thin fingers clutched at the fabric of her shirt weakly, and Erza's heart turned in her chest. "Don't go," the younger girl muttered, tucking her forehead against Erza's neck. She could feel the fever burning through her friend's body.

"I'm staying right here, I promise," she murmured reassuringly, pressing a soft kiss to Levy's head. "Get some sleep, I'll keep the nightmares away."

Levy smiled weakly up at her, and within minutes, she was sleeping peacefully in her guildmate's arms, tucked into the curve of her body. Erza carefully readjusted the blankets around Levy's small body, carefully requiping into her pajamas and shuffling further down onto the bed until she was comfortable. She briefly wondered how Porlyusica or Makarov would react if they walked in and saw her curled around the quarantined girl, and then decided she couldn't care less what they thought.

She wasn't going to let her little sister go through this alone anymore.

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_I SWEAR TO **GOD** THE NEXT CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE HAPPY. I PROMISE._

_Okay, so sadistic tendencies aside, this chapter also established some super important stuff, and come on, who doesn't love older sister Erza? I wanted to bring up the budding Erza Mirajane friendship too because I like to think that they became friends soon after Lisanna's "death". _

_This chapter isn't even close to edited since my laptop battery is dying and I'm currently sitting in the back of my car outside of Starbuck bumming off their wifi (shout out to my awesome Starbucks buddies who tolerate me taking the comfy chair in the lobby for hours at a time and bring me free coffee and pastries you guys are the **best**), so this might be a little rough. Be gentle, guys. _

_Hopefully the next chapter will be out in February, so I can catch this fic up to nest fic. Reviewsmakeupdateshappenfaster._

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Edit: Alright, several people have brought this up in the comments, so I figured I should try to address it.

Yes, Levy is white in canon. No, she's not white in this au. Really, I gave her wings for seven years of her life and this is the part you guys have trouble wrapping your minds around?

Levy, for all intents and purposes, is half Spanish-half Desi. I try to base each of the countries in Earthland that I'm headcanoning about and developing on a real life place, and Caelum is based off of Spain, and the Tenroujima fae are based loosely (loosely meaning I'm crap at researching things, which I should fix) on India. I do this to try to make these places a little more believable, and for another important reason.

Fairy Tail is _really _white.

You can argue that because it is a Japanese manga, that they're Japanese, but Mashima has stated that if this took place in the real world, Lucy, Erza, and the Dreyar's would respectively be American, British, and Russian. Based on this information and the way they're colored in official art, they're white. A lot of people in this manga are white. A _lot_ of the fanfiction in this fandom makes them white. It's just something I'm kinda sick of seeing and wanted to explore outside of.

Not to mention, it's just sound logic. Levy's from an island kingdom, she's not gonna be this pale little delicate girl. She's got freckles all over from being in the sun all the time, she's got dark skin from both sets of genes; her freckles sometimes fade when she spends a lot of time indoors but they never go away. Imagine Levy with cute freckles everywhere and ask yourself why more people aren't writing something that fucking adorable. In case anyone was curious, Jet is actually the only white member of Shadowgear, being the ginger fuck that he is. Droy's family was also from Western Fiore, which in this universe, is where most of the Caelum immigrants settle (Alzack is also from West Fiore, Bisca is a Caelum native).

Subtle racism, misogyny, homophobia, and heteronormative narratives are big problems in this fandom, one I don't want to contribute to. Now, seeing as I'm _also _white (Florida born and raised, lord help me), this has been an interesting thing to try and write into this universe and try to write _well. _Sometimes I don't manage that. If I write something that is offensive to someone whom my interpretation of the characters is based on, **_TELL ME. _**I will do my very best to fix it, and would love to have your input! (This also counts for when I attempt to use Google Translate to throw some languages into this au, please let me know when I fuck up).

That's pretty much all I have to stay on this matter, so I leave you with this thought, dear readers. Go to Google, look up Fo Porter, and bask in the glory of Levy's faceclaim for this au.

And _then _you can ask me which Levy I'm looking at *drops mic*.

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_do-fairys-have-tails . tumblr . com_


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